Cass Midgley interviews Rev. George Cunningham, a local pastor of a Disciples of Christ church who is openly gay with a partner of 12 years. Their church is called open table because all our welcome. I present these Christians every now and then to model a version of Christianity that is non-toxic and even beneficial for society, in my opinion. I think honestly that Christianity is not going away any time soon. (Never soon enough.) So since we have to share society with it for at least a few more generations, I find it worthwhile to elevate and highlight those that are doing it right, if there is such a thing. George is that guy, as is Stan Mitchell 118, David Dark 90, Becky Garrison 65, Geoff Little 41, Roger Wolsey 13, Patsy Moore 8, and many others. Also to show that these are human beings doing the best they can with what they’ve got. They are NOT delusional about the negatives in scripture and in how others apply their Christianity, and they seek to show a better way, and I applaud them. They are reforming from within and that’s no easy task, trust me.

Something I want to highlight about this conversation with George is his work in his work helping mentally challenged people. He talks about his funding from United Way and city and county support (which is tax dollars) and with that comes a lot of government regulations. Also that it’s difficult to find good help at $9.50 an hour. Call me crazy but I honestly would love to live in a country upside down from the one I currently live in, where people who help people—from people like George and his care-givers, to police and firefighters, to teachers—would make a minimum of $80,000/year. When the 30 wealthiest Americans have the same net worth as half of Americans, and the 60 wealthiest human’s net worths equal have of the earths population’s net worth, then we have a problem and we could do much better in sharing the planet, sharing resources, and creating the best possible life for the most people possible. And yes, I’m talking about wealth distribution and yes, I’m a socialist. I despise money because it enslaves all of us. If we all cared about noble moral things rather accumulation of stuff, life could be a much better experience for more people, if not all.

We taped these conversations on October 15th, 2016. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, give it 5 stars, and/or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Our show is available on most podcast platforms. Also, you can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge one dollar per episode through Patreon; that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast, or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. The smallest contribution is greatly appreciated. Our Indigogo fundraiser is here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ea-podcast-equipment-upgrade#/

Credits: "Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU Intro bumper "Never Know" by Jack Johnson The segue music is by Sam Maher recorded on a handpan in the NY city subway.